Peter Dowdall: Let's go walking in a winter wonderland

There are some plants that need our attention at this time of year. File pictures

My children hope for snow each winter. for several reasons — like all youngsters, they love the thought of being out there making snowballs and snowmen and the novelty of the white landscape though, I suspect the overriding desire is for the day off school.

I dare not tell them that I dread it. I don’t enjoy the coldness and the isolation caused by being confined to barracks. However, low temperatures, frost and snow are a necessary part of our voyage around the sun each year and the garden benefits from this, even though there are some plants which will need our attention.